Tchula man sentenced to life for murder

Fred Hogan of Tchula was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison Thursday for the 2015 slaying of Tahiti Banks of Belzoni.

After a four-day trial, a Humphreys County jury returned a verdict of guilty. Hogan was charged with one count of first degree murder as a habitual offender and one count of possession of firearm by a convicted felon.

Circuit Court Judge Jannie Lewis-Blackmon sentenced Hogan to serve a life sentence without possibility of parole for first degree murder and 10 years without possibility of parole for the second count. Hogan was a member of the Vice Lord gang. He shot the victim over four times with three of those shots to the head.

"Our victims and their families are always our highest priority, and we will fight relentlessly to make sure that violators are no longer a threat to our community," said District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver.

Hogan’s Defense Counsel was Martin Perkins of Jackson. Malone-Oliver said the victim's family was pleased with the verdict and happy that justice was served.